Dispensing-cabinet



J. FRITSCHE.

DISPENSING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. s, I9l7.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

OIVLl/VE. 3:3. F /6. 2.

ATTORNEYS JOHN FRI'ISCHE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISPENSING-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed February 5, 1917. Serial No; 146,683.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Fnrrsorrn, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and use-. ful DispensingCabinet, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my present invention is to devise a dispensing cabinet,wherein the articles to be dispensed can be readily brought into aposition accessible to the user, and after being used, returned'to thecabinet, and at the same time, they are associated with the cabinet insuch a manner that they cannot be carried away.

A further object of my invention is to devise anovel construction of acabinet, where.- in the articles are secured to a handle which is at alltimes connected with the cabinet, and wherein means are provided forlooking the doors of the cabinet for the purpose of preventing accessthereto and providing for the filling of the cabinet with fresh articlesand the removal from the cabinet ofarticles which have been used.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter moreclearly appear in the detailed description, my invention consists'of anovel dispensing cabinet which is especially adapted for the dispensingof towels and similar articles, although it is apparentlit is notlimitedto such use and. may be employed for the dispensing of anydesired articles. g

It further consists of a novel construction of a cabinet provided with aplurality of compartments, and novel means for guiding the articles intheir passage from one compartment to the other.

It further consists of a novel construction and arrangement of a guide,and a novel construction of a handle adapted to engage said guide and tobe secured to the articles to be dispensed.

It further consists of novel means for preventing an intending userreaching into the compartment in which the fresh or clean articles areplaced and removing a number of theart-icles therefrom at the same time.

Other novel features of construction and advantage will be hereinafterclearly set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawings a typical embodiment thereof cise arrangement andorganization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents'a erspective View of a dispensing cabinet em odyingmy, inven tion.

Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the dispensing cabinet, with thedoors. in wide open position.

Fig. 3 represents a section online 33 of v Fig. 2.

Fig. 4; represents a section on line L-it of Fig. 2.

Fig; 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 represents, in side elevation, one of the grasping handles whichcarry an article.

Fig. 7 represents a sectional view of an article, illustrating moreparticularly the means for reinforcmg the article.

Similar numerals of reference indicatef corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the casing of a dispensingcabinet embodying my invention, the casing being preferably supported onanti-friction devices 2. The casing may be constructed of any desiredmaterial, but as'illustrated, it is constructed ofsheet metal. 3designates the bottom of the casing which is secured by means of angles4 to the back plate 5 and the side walls 6. The back plate and the sidewalls are connected by means of vertically extending angles 7, the twoangles 7 at the front of the casing forming a part of the front wall ofthe casing.

8 designates the top plate which is connected to the back and sideplates by means of the angles 9 and those at the front of the casingform a part of the front plate. 10 designates a plate within the casingsecured to vertically extending ang es 7 and forming a partition whichdivides the interior of the cabinet into two compartments 11 and 12,

respectively.

13 designates an angle secured to the plate 10 and one of its facesforms a portion of the front face of the cabinet. 14 designates a dooraffording communication with the compartment 11, and 15 designates adoor affording communication with the compartment 12, these doors beingpivotally mounted on upper and lower angles, as will be run derstood byreference to Fi 2.

The inner face of the door 15 is reinforced by the angles 16 and suchdoor 15 is rovided with a key-controlled lock 17. The door 14 isreinforced by the angles 18 and one of the angles 18 is provided withthe slots 19 into which are adapted to extend the catches 20 which inthe to m shown consist of hooks pivotally carried by the angle 13 andlocated within the casing so as to be concealed therewithin. The innerface of the door 14 has secured thereto in any desired manner a table orarticle support 21. The door 14 has secured thereto the angles 22 whichform the slot 23 which opens through the top of. the door 14 andregisters with a slot 24 in a guide member 25 secured to the top plate 8in any' desired manner. The guide 25 is deflected inwardly so as to passinto the open ing 26 in the top 8 and its slot 24 registers with theslot 27 formed by the guide members 28. The guide members 23 aresupported by the brace arms 29 connected thereto and to the casing inany desired manner.

The guide members at their lower ends are connected together by means ofa fastening device 30 of any desired type. The top 8 is provided with aslot 31 therethrough which communicates with the compartment 11, andthis slot 31 is covered by a hood 32 secured to the top by means of theangles 33. The door 14 is provided with a grasping handle 34.

35 designates the articles to be dispensed, such as for example, towels,which are provided with a reinforcing eyelet 36, through which the knob37 of an article holder 38 is adapted to pass, it being seen that theknob 37 forms a grasping portion and is of greater width than the widthof the slots 23, 24 and 27 The article holder 38 is provided with arounded'portion, which is offset, as at 39, and terminates in anabutment 40 of greater width than the width of the eyelet 36.

42 designates guides, (see Fig. 1), which are spaced from each other inorder to form a slot communicating with the slots 23 and 24.

The operation of my novel dispensing cabinet will now be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains and is as follows:

The article holders 38 are assembled with respect to the articles byinserting a knob 37 through the eyelets 36, in case such eyelets areemployed; otherwise. through the articles. The door 15 is unlocked andthe catches 20 are moved outwardly to unlock the door 14. The door 14 isthen opened and the body portions of the article holders are droppedinto the slot 23, and the articles are superposed above each other onthe table 21. The door 14 is then closed and locked and the door 15locked. The dispensing cabinet is now ready to be operated. Theintending user grasps the knob 37 of the uppermost article holder andslides it upwardly so that such article holder passes through the slot23 and slot 24, the article during such operation passing from thecompartment 11 through the slot 31 and is now located exterior of thecontainer in a position accessible to the intending user, so that thearticle can be temporarily used but cannot be detached from the machineand carried away.

After the article has been used, as desired, the article holder is movedalong the slot 24 and the article drops through the opening 26 into thecompartment 12 which 'is for the reception of the used or soiledarticles. The knob 37 passes through the slot 41, (see more particularlyFig. 1), and the article and its holder drops to the bottom of thecompartment 12, as will. be understood by reference to Fig. 4.

As soon as the articles have all been used, the door 15 is unlocked, andthe fastening device 30 is removed, thus permitting the article holderto be removed from the slot 2?.

Owing to the provision of the hood 32, an intending user is preventedfrom reaching his hand down into the slot 31 and removing- 'a plurahtyof articles at a time. This hood also prevents the accumulation of dirt,dust and foreign material on the clean articles which are in thecompartment 11.

It will be apparent that my present invention is especially adapted tobe employed in conjunction. with a coin-controlled mechanism, such as isillustrated in my co-pending application, Serial No. 102,847, filed June10th, 1916, for check-controlled vending machines, which has maturedinto Patent No. 1,222,859, and wherein 1 have described and broadlyclaimed a novel construction. for vending articles, such as towels andother articles which can be attached to an article holder.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the dispensing device isprovided with a having a receiving and a delivery compartment withopenings through a wall of the casing communicating with thesecompartments. A slotted guide is provided extendir "exterior of thecasing and registerth a slot in a wall thereof. This slotted guideextends preferably to the bottom of the delivery compartment and isprovided with meansto close the lower end of its slot,

such means being accessible only on the opening of the door to thedelivery compartment.

The article holders are assembled with reenumerated as desirable in thestatement of the invention and the above description, and

while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a typicalembodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliableresults, it is to be understood that this embodiment is susceptible ofmodification in various particulars without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing having a pluralityof compartments, a guide leadingfrom one compartment and extending intothe other and ineluding a slot opening through a wall of the casing,article holders superimposed in said slot and adapted to engage saidguide and having grasping portions extending exterior of the casing toprovide for the successive temporary exposure of an article exterior ofthe casing. v

2. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing havinga pluralityof compartments, a guide leading from one compartment and extending intothe other com partment, a door controlling access to one of saidcompartments and including a slot registering with said guide, articleholders superimposed in said slot adapted to engage said guide andhaving grasping portions extending exterlor of the casing.

3. An article dispensing device, conipr1s ing a casing having aplurality of compartments and openings in a wall of said casmg, each ofwhich communicates with a compartment, a door providing access to' oneof said compartments and having a slot, a slotted guide extending fromsaid slot and extending into the other of said compartments, and articleholders superimposed in said slot and connected with the articles, saidarticle holders having grasping portions extendingexterior of theeasing.

4. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing having a pluralityof compartments and openings in a wall of said casing, each of whichcommunicates with a compartment, a door providing access to one of saidcompartments and having a slot, a slotted guide extending from said slotand extending into the other of said compartments, and article holderssuperimposed in said slot and connected with the articles, the ends ofsaid article holders being enlarged, whereby said article hold-.

ers can be placed in said slot only when said door is open, said articleholders having one end positioned exterior of the casing to form thegrasping portion.

5. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing having a plurality'of compartments and openings in a wall of said casing,each of whichcommunicates with a compartment, a door providing access to one of saidcompartments and having a slot, a slotted guide extending from' saidslot and extending into the other of said compartments, article holderssuperimposed in said slot and connected with the articles and having agrasping portion ex-- tending exterior of the casin and a hood coveringone of said openings,

6. An article dispensing device, provided with openings in one of itswalls and compartments communicating with said openings, doorscontrolling access to said compartment, locking mechanism for saiddoors, one of said doors having a slot, article holders superimposed insaid slot and havingtheir ends of greater width than the width ofsaidslot, one of such endsfornn ing the grasping portion positioned exteriorof the casing, slotted guide coinmunicating with said slot and extendinginto one of said compartments through the opening means to close the endof the slot of said guide which is in a compartment.

7. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing having a pluralityof compartments and openings in a wall of said casing, each of whichcommunicates with a 'inents, means to retain the articles at all timesin assembled position with respect to said casing and to permit them tobe passed from one compartmentinto the other, said means including anarticle holder having one end adapted to pass through the article andprovided with a button at its opposite end to prevent the article frombeing re moved from such end, one of such ends being positioned exteriorof the casing and formingthe grasping portion.

9. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing having a pluralityof compartments and openings-in a wall of said casing, each of whichcommunicates with a compartment, a door providing access tocommunicating therewith, and a one of said compartments and having aslot, an article support carried by said door, a slotted guide extendingfrom said slot and extending into the other of said compartments, andarticle holders superim posed in said slot and connected with thearticles.

10. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing having a pluralityoi compartments provided with openings communicating With saidcompartments and having doors providing access to said compartments,means within said casing to lock one of said doors in position, a lockfor the other of said doors, one of said doors having a slot, articleholders adapted to be assembled in said slot when the slot containingdoor is open,'and retaining means for the article holders registeringwith said slot and extending exterior of the casing to provide for thetemporary use of articles carried by said article holders, saidretaining means extending into a compartment.

11. An article dispensing device, comprisng a casing having a receivingcompartment, a delivery compartment, openings through a wallcommunicating with said compartments and doors providing access to saidcompartments, locking mechanisms for said doors, the door to saidreceiving compartment having a slot, a

slotted guide communicating with said slot and extending into saiddelivery compartment, and article holders slidable in said slot andguide and having their ends of greater dimensions than said slot,whereby they can be assembled with respect to said slot only when thedoor of the receiving compartment is open.

12. An article dispensing device, comprising a casing havin a receivingcompartment, a delivery compartment, openings through a casing wallcommunicating with said compartments, and doors providing acto saidcompartments, locking mechanisms for said doors, the door to saidreceivin compartment having a slot, a slotted guide communicating withsaid slot, located exterior of the casing and extending into thereciving compartment, article holders slidable in said slot and guideand each having the grasping portion extending eX- terior oi? thecasing, and means within said delivery compartment to close the end ofsaid slotted guide, whereby articles can be removed from said slottedguide only when the door to the delivery compartment is O. D. MoVAY,

